THE PHILIPPINES AND ITS DETERIORATITING UALITY OF EDUCATION CHERMAINE P. CALIGAGAN

author is Teacher III

There has been a long and ongoing problem in the Philippines about the deteriorating quality of education in the country. According to Vice President and DEPEd Secterary Sara Z. Duterte on January 30, 2023, the most concerning issue is the lack of school infrastructure and resources that are needed for the ideal teaching process which is also one of the reasons for the deteriorating quality of education in the country. This reflects and shows that our country's education system is currently alarming and that there is an urgent need for improvement.

According to the PISA (Program for International Students Assessment), 80% of Filipino students we're not able to achieve the minimum level of proficiency in reading in the Philippines. This shows the effect of the poor education system in the country. It is considered poor for multiple problems such as lack of teachers, lack of resources, lack of budget, and as stated earlier, lack of infrastructure. Duterte presented the latest structure inventory which shows that only 104,536 out of 327,851 school buildings in the country are in fine condition.

Another problem for the DepEd is the lack of teachers which can be due to the low salary offered to teachers compared to other professionals, with teacher's salaries only reaching 27,000 Php while others such as doctors and engineers can gain about 80,000 Php and 38,000 Php based on Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The root problems of the deteriorating quality of education in the country mostly come from the lack of financial funds. It is known that the DepEd already has one of the highest budgets among all the institutions in the Philippines with a 710.6 B Php budget for 2023. However, why is there still no improvement in the country's educational system?

The solution to this alarming problem is the correct allocation of money for different useful projects such as an increase in salary for teachers, correct allotment of money needed for new infrastructures, and budget for new and useful school and learning equipment that will help the students receive better education and not for trivial projects such as removal of room decorations and visual aids or toothbrush drills that barely even give any help to teachers and students alike. It is time for the government to wake up and give youth the correct and effective education and to help them become the best they can be to be able to lead the country in the future and to finally benefit the country they live in.

It is time for the education system of the Philippines to give Filipinos effective education. However, it is not only up to the government to help us but also up to ourselves. It is time to be the effective inspirations that we need and it is time to be the effective students we want to produce. It is time to learn today, and lead tomorrow.

-oOoThe author is Teacher II at Francisco G. Nepomuceno Memorial High School